Abu Dhabi Races to Train 20,000 Staff in AI by Year-End

AiNative, Abu Dhabi’s large-scale AI training programme, must deliver practical skills to 20,000 government employees by the end of the year if the emirate is to stay on track toward its goal of becoming the world’s first AI-native government by 2027.

The programme was launched by the Department of Government Enablement (DGE) in collaboration with OpenAI, Microsoft and Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI). It was announced at Ai Everything Abu Dhabi and is built on the principle that technology and human capability must advance together.

Delivery is already under way. An initial pilot within government has begun, after which the programme will be opened to the public. The rollout is structured in phases, with foundation learning journeys for government employees and the wider public available first, and a dedicated executive programme for department leaders running alongside them. Specialised, function-specific certifications, covering areas such as coding and data, are scheduled to follow in later phases.

The government learning journey is designed to equip employees at scale with practical tools, including ChatGPT, Codex and Microsoft 365 Copilot, so they can use AI confidently and responsibly in daily work. For the public, access will run through Tomouh, DGE’s AI-powered learning app, with users logging in via UAE Pass. The public journey will be delivered through the free version of ChatGPT and will cover practical applications of AI in everyday life, from managing personal finances and running a small business to finding a job, studying and creating content responsibly online.

DGE owns the curriculum, which was shaped in collaboration with OpenAI, Microsoft and MBZUAI. The programme has been designed to be open and technology-agnostic, allowing further partners to be added over time.

The training push builds on earlier infrastructure work. AiNative follows the rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot to 35,000 Abu Dhabi Government employees through the Frontier Employee Programme, announced in July 2026. Together, the two initiatives pair access to advanced AI tools with the skills needed to use them responsibly and at scale.

Implementers framed the programme as an execution challenge centred on people. His Excellency Wesam Lootah, Director General of GovDigital at DGE, said AI will only create lasting value when people have the knowledge and confidence to use it well, adding that AiNative puts that capability at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s AI journey by giving government employees and the wider community practical skills to use AI responsibly in their work and everyday lives. By bringing together government, industry and academia, he said, the emirate is building a common foundation for an AI-enabled society and government.

Farouk El Hamzawi, Head of Enterprise at OpenAI MENA, said becoming an AI-native nation starts with AI-confident people, and that as AI moves from answering questions to taking on complex tasks, realising its potential means equipping people with the skills and confidence to use it well. Through this programme, he said, DGE is helping government employees and the wider public turn Abu Dhabi’s AI ambitions into everyday impact.

Amr Kamel, General Manager of Microsoft UAE, said Abu Dhabi’s leadership understands that becoming an AI-native government is as much about people as technology, and that through AiNative, employees will gain the practical skills to turn tools such as Microsoft 365 Copilot into better decisions, greater productivity and stronger public services.

Eric Xing, President of MBZUAI, said championing a culture of life-long learning ensures the benefits of new technologies are understood and realised responsibly by all, and that developing this capability at scale will be an important part of Abu Dhabi’s transition to an AI-native government and society.

Whether the phased rollout can hit its year-end target of 20,000 trained employees, and how quickly the public track follows the pilot, will shape the credibility of the 2027 AI-native deadline.